Unlike the Yellowstone and many other far west
scenic playgrounds, one may visit there with comfort any time of the year.
While certain periods are more favorable than others for outdoor life, each
season has its distinctive joys.
As a rule, this part of Arizona is a true land of sunshine. Sunny days are
largely in evidence.
As a rule, the air is dry. Even the rains don't soak it through.
As a rule, except on the edge of the rim, the wind velocity is under the
average.
As a rule, one may ride, walk or loaf outdoors, without fear of
overexertion. The air is like wine, it builds one anew.
Yet the weather is not perfect. You may strike a small sandstorm in
midsummer. You may hit a blizzard in midwinter. A torrential shower may
drench you. A fervent sun may unduly tan you. But these deviations from
Paradise come only occasionally; they are the bitter that makes the sweet
more sweet.
I can safely promise you, nine times out of ten, pleasanter weather than
you would find if at home. And that is the best test.
Rest-cure. Those who visit the Canyon oftenest and stay longest find the
least fault with its weather. For myself, I never complain; rather I always
look forward with great joy to an outing here. For besides being an
unparalleled scenic spectacle, the Grand Canyon is the greatest of
rest-cures. I know of nothing better for tired nerves and worn-out bodies
than to summer or winter along its rim, and down below where the river
runs.
Because the weather one year never is like the year before or after, I
cannot accurately forecast what you will find of heat or cold, wet or dry,
when you visit the Canyon. Even the "weather man" is not infallible in his
predictions. I only can outline a reasonable average, resting upon
observations made during a score of years.
Winter Months. From late in November to the end of April, snow may be
expected at any time on the rim, though many of the most delightful days of
the year occur in these months. Snow usually does not fall until after
Christmas. Some years the winter is almost snowless; other years there is
enough snow to make fine sleighing. June and July are the warm summer
months, with August hot; but the heat is likely to be tempered by the rain.
From the middle of July to about the end of October, rains may be looked
for at any time, and the days after the rains are generally cool, delicious
and altogether desirable. Now and again, both before and after a rain, the
air will be moist and sultry, somewhat as it is in the East, but this
condition is so rare as to cause surprise. Generally the air is dry, and
the sun shines warmly, so that "catching cold" is infrequent.
